A Visit To Orange County Coffee Plantation

I was recently in Coorg in Southern India, at the Orange County resort, the resort is home to a coffee plantation with an extensive history. The coffee was planted by the British in the early part of last century then after they left the then manager brought it out and it is still a family run business today.

The hilly and often rainy region of Coorg makes perfect conditions for growing coffee, combined with the shade of the large fruit trees such as Jack fruit the Robusta coffee thrives here. Arabica is also grown and later blended with the Robusta beans for a smoother taste. The Robusta coffee plant like its name is more Robust and a hardy tree, in fact it is carefully pruned to keep it low to to the ground for harvesting the beans by hand. The fact that it is more hardy is also good to protect it from Elephants, as the plantation borders the forest and the elephants are rather partial to jack fruit.

Workers will often chop the fruits to prevent the elephants entering the plantation. The coffee plants only flower once a year in the spring when it is said that the 2 weeks of radiant white blossoms make the hillside look like snow.

So next time you order Gourmet coffee, why not try one from India like our India Monsooned voyage